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graphic universe
tm
m i n n e a p o li s • n ew yo r k
ALI BABA IS A CHARACTER IN ARABIAN NIGHTS. ALSO
CALLED THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, THIS BOOK IS
story by marie p. croall
A CLASSIC WORK OF ARABIC LITERATURE. THE WORK IS
pencils and inks by clint hilinski
MADE UP OF APPROXIMATELY TWO HUNDRED STORIES
FROM PERSIA, INDIA, AND OTHER COUNTRIES IN AND
NEAR THE MIDDLE EAST. ITS STORIES WERE COLLECTED
coloring by hi-fi colour design
AND WRITTEN DOWN IN ARABIC IN ABOUT A.D. 1500.
lettering by marshall dillon
and terri delgado
BRITISH SCHOLARS SIR RICHARD F. BURTON AND
JOHN PAYNE TRANSLATED THE STORIES INTO ENGLISH IN
THE 1800S.
consultant: allan t. kohl, m.a.,
minneapolis college of art and design
IN CREATING THE STORY OF ALI BABA, AUTHOR
MARIE P. CROALL WORKED FROM ARABIAN NIGHTS
VOLUME I: THE MARVELS AND WONDERS OF THE
THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, ADAPTED FROM RICHARD
F. BURTON’S UNEXPURGATED TRANSLATION BY JACK
ZIPES. ARTIST CLINT HILINSKI CONSULTED NUMEROUS
HISTORICAL RESOURCES TO SHAPE THE VISUAL CONTENT OF
THE TALE. IN ADDITION, ALLAN T. KOHL, ART HISTORIAN
AND VISUAL RESOURCES LIBRARIAN AT THE MINNEAPOLIS
COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN, LENT HIS EXPERTISE TO THE
PROJECT BY REVIEWING BOTH TEXT AND ART. KOHL HAS
STUDIED THE ARABIAN NIGHTS TALES AND AUTHORED AN
ARTICLE ON ONE OF THE STORIES IN THE COLLECTION.
Copyright © 2008 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
Graphic UniverseTM is a trademark of Lerner
Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
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means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise—without the prior written
permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.,
except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an
acknowledged review.
Graphic UniverseTM
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Croall, Marie P.
Ali Baba: fooling the forty thieves : an Arabian
tale : story / by Marie P. Croall ; pencils and inks by
Clint Hilinski.
p. cm. — (Graphic myths and legends)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: 978–0–8225–7525–2 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
I. Hilinski, Clint. II. Ali Baba (Folk tale)
III. Arabian nights. IV. Title.
PZ8.C9694A1 2008
398’.352—dc22
2007019741
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 – JR – 13 12 11 10 09 08
eISBN-13: 978-0-7613-3993-9
table of contents
ali baba and the forest . . . 7
inside the cave . . . 12
kasim and his wife . . . 17
morgiana and the tailor . . . 27
the captain’s plan . . . 34
morgiana’s dance . . . 39
glossary and pronunciation guide . . . 46
further reading and websites . . . 47
creating ali baba: fooling the forty thieves . . . 47
index . . . 48
about the author and the artist . . . 48
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
glossary and pronunciation guide
allah: the word for God in the
Persia: modern-day Iran
Islamic faith
foil: to stop or to defeat
merchant: someone who makes money
rogue (rohg): a dishonest person
scimitar (sih-meh-tahr): a sword
with a curved blade
by selling goods
mourning: to be very sad for someone
shroud: a cloth used to wrap a body
for burial
who has died
pauper (paw-puhr): a very poor
suet (soo-it): animal fat
person
original pencil sketch from page 9
46
further reading and websites
Croall, Marie P. Sinbad: Sailing Into Peril. Minneapolis: Graphic Universe,
2008. Read all about the adventures of Sinbad, another character from the
Arabian Nights stories.
Hurwitz, Johanna. The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein. New York: Morrow,
1985. When David Bernstein decides to change his name to Ali Baba, all kinds
of strange and exciting things begin to happen.
Smith, Philip. Aladdin and Other Favorite Arabian Nights Stories. New York:
Dover, 1993. This book contains six Arabian Nights tales, including Ali
Baba and the Forty Thieves.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/alibaba.html
At this website, you can read the story of Ali Baba online.
Global Connections: The Middle East
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/index.html
This site features detailed information on the Middle East—the region of the
world where the Arabian Nights tales began.
creating ali baba: fooling the forty thieves
To create the story of Ali Baba, author Marie P. Croall relied heavily on
Arabian Nights Volume I: The Marvels and Wonders of the Thousand and One
Nights, adapted from Richard F. Burton’s unexpurgated translation by Jack Zipes.
Artist Clint Hilinski referred to multiple historical resources and worked closely
with art historian Allan T. Kohl to make the story’s rich imagery come alive.
47
index
Abdullah, 34–35, 43–45
Ali Baba: encountering the thieves, 7–11;
exploring the cave, 12–13; meeting
the captain of the thieves, 34
Ali Baba’s wife, 6, 14–18, 26–27
gold, 9–10, 12–16, 18–20, 26, 31, 45
Baba Mustafa, 29–32
Morgiana, 27–30, 32–36, 38, 42–45
captain of the thieves, 9–12, 21–22, 31–45
cave, 10–13, 20–22, 24–26, 31, 33, 45
Persia, 6, 20
pharmacist, 28
Kasim, 6, 18–30
Kasim’s son, 40–42, 45
Kasim’s wife, 6, 17–19, 23–25, 27
forty thieves, 7–11, 21–22, 31, 33–38
about the author and the artist
marie p. croall lives in Cary, North Carolina, with her loving husband and four
wonderful cats. She has written for Marvel, DC, Moonstone Books, Devil’s
Due, and Harris Comics. She has also completed a self-published graphic
novel and a short film. Croall has spent much of her life reading fables and
legends from the Middle East and Asia and enjoys discovering new things
about different cultures.
clint hilinski grew up in Esko, Minnesota, where he became interested in art at
an early age. He continued studying art at the University of Wisconsin,
Superior, where he received his bachelor’s degree in fine art. Hilinski’s
influences include Jim Lee, Alan Davis, and Adam Hughes. He has worked
as an illustrator for DC, Image, Dark Horse, and many other companies.
Hilinski has worked on titles such as Sinbad, Justice League of America,
Xena, Voltron, and GI Joe.
48
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from the pages of arabian nights . . .
. . . comes an amazing tale of chance and adventure.
ALI BABA, A POOR MAN WHO MAKES HIS LIVING SELLING WOOD, STUMBLES UPON
A SECRET CAVE WHERE FORTY THIEVES HAVE BEEN HIDING PRICELESS TREASURES.
HE DISCOVERS THE TRICK TO ENTERING THE CAVE AND DECIDES
TO TAKE SOME TREASURES FOR HIMSELF. BUT WHEN ALI
BABA’S WIFE BORROWS A SCALE TO WEIGH THEIR
NEWFOUND RICHES, THE SECRET GETS OUT. WILL
ALI BABA BE ABLE TO KEEP HIS FORTUNE? OR
WILL THE BANDITS GET THEIR REVENGE?
GRAPHIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS TITLES:
ALI BABA: FOOLING THE FORTY THIEVES
AMATERASU: RETURN OF THE SUN
ARTHUR & LANCELOT: THE FIGHT FOR CAMELOT
ATALANTA: THE RACE AGAINST DESTINY
BEOWULF: MONSTER SLAYER
DEMETER & PERSEPHONE: SPRING HELD HOSTAGE
GUAN YU: BLOOD BROTHERS TO THE END
HERCULES: THE TWELVE LABORS
THE HERO TWINS: AGAINST THE LORDS OF DEATH
ISIS & OSIRIS: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
JASON: QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN FLEECE
KING ARTHUR: EXCALIBUR UNSHEATHED
ODYSSEUS: ESCAPING POSEIDON’S CURSE
PERSEUS: THE HUNT FOR MEDUSA’S HEAD
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ROBIN HOOD: OUTLAW OF SHERWOOD FOREST
SINBAD: SAILING INTO PERIL
SUNJATA: WARRIOR KING OF MALI
THESEUS: BATTLING THE MINOTAUR
THOR & LOKI: IN THE LAND OF GIANTS
TRISTAN & ISOLDE: THE WARRIOR AND THE PRINCESS
THE TROJAN HORSE: THE FALL OF TROY
YU THE GREAT: CONQUERING THE FLOOD